According to an official statement released on Wednesday, three more people have died in Assam as a consequence of Japanese Encephalitis (JE).
Japanese encephalitis is a virus-borne brain infection spread by mosquito bites. The virus is found in animals and birds, and mosquitos snap it up when they bite infected animals.
Two people died in Karimganj and one in Sivasagar in the last 24 hours as an outcome of JE, as per the National Health Mission, Assam. Moreover, three new cases of JE were discovered in Dhemaji, two in Morigaon, and one in Dibrugarh, as per report.
With these deaths, a total of 16 people have died due to JE in the state. Since July 1, 121 cases of JE have been reported in Assam.
A review meeting on the JE and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) situation was held in presence of Health Minister Keshab Mahanta. According to the statement, Mahanta has decided to conduct a district-by-district review of the situation on Thursday.